Locating controversial water tanks discussed

Oak Ridge City Council discussed at some length the proposed location of new water tanks Monday during a work session at the Central Services Complex.

Beverly Majors/The Oak Ridger

Oak Ridge City Council discussed at some length the proposed location of new water tanks Monday during a work session at the Central Services Complex.

The city proposes adding three water tanks, or stormwater equalization basins, to the city’s sewer system and two of them have become somewhat controversial because of their proposed location and size.

The recommendation from the city’s Public Works Department is to place one proposed tank near Emory Valley Road at the Daniel Arthur complex, an Anderson County-owned property. The tank would be 125 feet wide and 22 feet high.

Public Works Director Gary Cinder told Council other sites were considered, but the proposed site was the best suitable location for the city’s system needs.

He said this site was chosen because it is the closest area for the east end pump station, where stormwater dumps into the gravity system.

“That’s where our problems start,” he said of the dumping area. “An equalization basin will help with those flows.”

The three tanks to hold stormwater are part of the city’s Environmental Protection Agency-mandated $23 million sewer system rehabilitation project. In addition to the Emory Valley Road site (Daniel Arthur Complex), the other two tanks are to be located in the Cairo Road area and on Scarboro Lane off South Illinois Avenue.

The main point of conversation pertaining to the tanks were the negative aesthetics the tanks appear to invoke. The Scarboro Lane and Emory Valley Road sites for the tanks are considered the most controversial because they would be more in public view.

On Emory Valley Road, the tank would be located on the east side of the Daniel Arthur complex and take up a portion of the parking lot. On Scarboro Lane, the tank would be next to Mullins Car Wash.

Council member Charlie Hensley asked about moving the proposed sites further back on the properties so they would not be as visible.

“They are an eyesore for the rest of the city,” he said about the Emory Road site. “I’d like to get it out of sight.”

Council member Anne Garcia Garland said she also had some objections, stating: “It’s just a water tank, but I want people to be happy.”

“I have to look at it,” Hensley said. “I’d like to see it back in the woods more.”

Cinder said other sites on the opposite side of Emory Valley Road were “looked at” but each had problems, citing examples as having to cross Emory Valley Road twice with sewer lines, soil conditions and uphill terrain.

“From an economic standpoint, it’s an excellent site,” he said.

City Manager Mark Watson said the Anderson County Commission endorsed the site if the city can work to deal with aesthetics concerns.

County Commissioners Jerry Creasey, Robin Biloski, Harry “Whitey” Hitchcock, Myron Iwanski and Jerry White, all of Oak Ridge, as well as County Mayor Terry Frank attended Monday’s work session.

Council member Chuck Hope agreed with Hensley about putting the tanks out of the public view, but also asked that Cinder and his staff look again at other sites.

“I want to know if there are alternatives out there,” he said. “What are the costs involved? I’d like to see something else to look at before we put up a tank in a neighborhood.”

Hope said the Scarboro Lane site would be near one of the most traveled roads in the city — South Illinois Avenue.